A Different Kind of Captain
by Both Artemis and Athena
Summary: Captain (n): 1. An officer ranking in most armies above a first lieutenant and below a major; 2. an officer in the U.S. Navy ranking above a commander and below a rear admiral or a commodore. See also: 1. Rogers; 2. Elye
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so, I know I'm not completely done with my other story, Yesterday's Adventure, but I'm not really sure where to go with it at this point, and I've had this idea for a while. If all goes as planned, this will be the first installment in a much longer series that may even eventually tie my other stories together. As for now, though, this has nothing to do with Yesterday's Adventure or The Tale of the Widow and the Hawk. This is part of my 'Bigger World' universe, but this is much more of a prologue that introduces my OC, Captain Jolene Elye.**

**If that made sense, good for you, if not, it's not that important anywayXD.**

"_And the night was alive and anhungered of life as a tiger from toils cast free:  
And a rapture of rage made joyous the spirit and strength of the soul of the sea.  
All the weight of the wind bore down on it, freighted with death for fraught:  
And the keen waves kindled and quickened as things transfigured or things distraught.  
And madness fell on them laughing and leaping; and madness came on the wind:  
And the might and the light and the darkness of storm were as storm in the heart of Ind…."_

Wind-driven rain lashed at the USS_ White Rose_, blowing wildly and trying to steer the ship off course_. _Her captain stared out over the ocean, taking in the monster storm. Some twelve or thirteen miles off the coast of Burma, large storms were not an uncommon occurrence. But this one was, for a lack of a better word, a doozy. Winds that bordered hurricane speeds fought to push them off-course, working with waves that were large enough to occasionally wash over the deck of the destroyer. Bright streaks of lightning drew jagged streaks across the sky, lighting up the sea around them as if it were momentarily daylight. Those who dared walk outside were soaked to the bone within seconds.

Another bolt of lightning flashed along the horizon, illuminating the pale face of the woman at the helm. Her overall appearance pointed Irish descent, with porcelain-pale skin and bright freckles across her nose. Sea blue eyes sparked with energy and a bit of something feral and wild, something that seeing it, you just knew she grew up barefoot. She was lithe of build and average of height, neither tall nor short, and she was a bit more thin than thick. If she made the effort to look good, she supposed she could be considered fairly attractive. She was not, by any means, drop-dead gorgeous, nor did she have the looks of an actress or model, and that much she knew for sure. No, the captain was pretty average-looking, maybe pretty in her own way, but certainly nothing to turn heads. She was perfectly okay with that, it meant less complication and distraction at work and it meant that men usually paid attention to what she wanted when she talked to them as opposed to how she looked.

"How's it lookin', Cap'n?" Someone asked. Commander Grey Parks stood to the side, watching her. "Pretty rough, right?"

The captain shook her head, pursing her lips. "Ain't seen a storm like this in a long time," she conceded. A thick southern accent blanketed her words, giving her voice a warm tone. She turned to one of the nearby navigators. "Burnes, chart a course and try to stay out of the worst of it; I don't like the look of that lightning. Commander Parks, go make sure everything is properly stowed and see to it that there is no one on deck that shouldn't be. It's gonna be a long night."

"Yes ma'am," Parks said, disappearing out the door.

"How _does_ it look, Lieutenant?" she asked, Parks' earlier question having set her into wondering. She walked over to the younger navigator and peered over her shoulder.

"See for yourself, ma'am," Lieutenant Mariah Burnes said, adjusting the computer screen to show the captain the radar. The captain's eyebrows shot up in silent surprise. For miles around them, a mammoth storm blanketed the ocean. Lightning symbols popped up periodically just west of them, confirming what she had seen earlier. "Wind speeds reading up to 73 miles per hour, ma'am," Burnes said. "The ship alone has seen three inches of rain. I doubt even the fish can survive all this."

"Well we'll just have to try to stay out of the worst," the captain reiterated. Concern showed on her face momentarily before it was replaced with excitement. "Avoid lightning and winds much higher than this."

"Ma'am, shouldn't we head for port?" Burnes asked, somewhat nervously. She glanced down at the radar screen again before looking back up at the captain.

"Mariah," the captain said, blue eyes hard. "There are men on board who haven't been stateside in months, maybe even over a year. Our ship can ride this out, and we're not turnin' tail just because of a little thunder!" She smirked proudly, almost cockily. "We're the _White Rose_, and it's not like we don't have anything to prove." The two shared a grin for a moment.

"Ma'am!" A radioman exclaimed, waving the captain over. "I've got someone out in this storm who needs assistance. It's one of ours."

"One of ours? Who?" the captain asked, her brow furroing in confusion and concern. Even she knew that no one should have been flying in a storm like this.

"I don't know, I haven't responded," the tech said.

"Why the hell not?" the captain demanded. She shook her head. "Patch me through," she demanded, picking up the headset and listening intently.

"This is Tony Stark, of SHIELD team Avengers, requesting permission to land. Is anyone out there?" She blinked. Well, it certainly sounded like Stark, if the press interviews were anything to go by. But why was Stark in the middle of the freaking Bay of Bengal? This wasn't making any sense. "Anyone?" He asked again, and she realized she had been thinking for far too long.

"This is Captain Jolene Elye, of the USS _White Rose_. What's your location?" she asked, moving back toward Mariah and the radar map on her computer screen.

"It's good to hear a friendly voice, Captain Elye," another voice came through. Jolene pinned that as the voice of Captain America himself. Her eyebrows rose in the only show of her concealed intrigue. Was this the entire team of Avengers? The radar hadn't picked up a jet, but she had handled- or _dealt with_, actually- S.H.I.E.L.D. before and knew that they were sometimes off the radar.

"We're currently about three miles south of the And Man Islands," Stark's voice said after a moment's hesitation. Jolene frowned in confusion for several moments before she started searching the map on the radar screen. She realized what he meant in seconds.

"Andaman Islands, you mean?" She asked.

"Yeah, that," he agreed. "We're about three…four miles south of there. Or, at least, we were about half an hour ago. I've got no GPS right now, so I really can't tell you." His voice sounded strained. 'Trace it,' Jolene mouthed over her shoulder. The tech jumped up to do just that.

"We're getting pretty beat up out here," Captain America said. Jolene could hear a roaring sound in the background of his radio, threatening to drown out his voice. Her eyes widened in realization of what it was.

"Captain, Mr. Stark, are you outside?" Jolene asked, horror tinting her voice. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Classified," Stark said evasively.

"What's your position?" Captain America asked.

"We're about two minutes south and west of yours, if our technicians are anything to go by," Jolene said, looking at the slip of paper the technician handed her. "We'll come to you, just try to stay on your course." She handed Lt. Burnes the location, and the young lieutenant immediately began altering their course. "How many of you are there? Any injuries?" Jolene asked.

"It our whole team," Captain America confirmed. "Six of us. We're banged up some, but nothing major that we can see. A bit of first aid would be a big help." She heard a few faint voices in the background, sounds of protest, and smirked. _People and their denial of first aid…_ She imagined they would behave as her own crew usually did, seeing medical care as a weakness.

"I'll personally see to the infirmary being prepared," Jolene said. "Hang in there, boys, we're on the way." She started taking off the headset, but Stark's voice stopped her.

"I don't think we'll be able to stay out of the water for much longer," he said, his voice faintly nervous. Jolene frowned, her level of concern skyrocketing with one statement.

"How much longer do you-" The radio crackled, and the next thing she heard was a loud boom and crashing sound. "HOLY SHIT!" someone screamed, and then, nothing but static.

"Stark? Captain?" Jolene called into the radio silence, growing frantic. She received no response. "Shit!" she cursed. "Get a bead on that call and get as close as you can," she snapped at the room. "Some of ours are flying out there; they need help! As of right now, we are diverting on a rescue/extraction mission. Someone get S.H.I.E.L.D. on the phone, the rest of you, I want every steady-legged shipman out on deck with lights and slickers looking for those people. See to it that happens. Lieutenant Burnes, when you're done with the trace contact the infirmary and tell them I'm on my way," she finished, disappearing out the door. She barely heard the chorus of "yes, ma'am!" behind her as she sprinted down the passage.

**Reviews appreciated, hope you like it!**

**BA&A**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, chapter 2! Thanks to those who favorite, followed, alerted, and my one reviewer! This one has less of my OC, I know there was a lot in the last one but bear with me please! I own nothing, in case I forgot to point that out last time.**

"_Wind and sea and cloud and cloud-forsaking  
Mirth of moonlight where the storm leaves free  
Heaven awhile, for all the wrath of waking  
Wind and sea"_

It was suffice to say that the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes, where in trouble.

Tony had reflected on that fact for quite some time, now. They had been trapped in this hellstorm for several hours, it felt like, flying in what JARVIS had assured him was a straight line. However, the storm had disrupted the suit's already-damaged GPS system, and now he was without even a satellite map to show him where to go.

He cursed himself for teasing Steve about carrying a compass with him, because now the man had left it behind. Of course, now was when they needed it. Figured.

So, being lost was essentially his fault at the moment. Yes, they were effectively lost. Lost in the middle of the Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Malaysia. Yeah, lost in the middle of the ocean.

Did he mention they were lost?

And of course, they couldn't just swim through all this. They were flying. Correction, he was flying, and the two deadliest assassins in the world were hanging on to extensions of the suit. Meanwhile, Thor was flying somewhere around here, too. Clint was attempting to keep an eye on him, to keep him in their sights. Thor was carrying Steve, and Steve was clinging to Bruce's arm.

So, actually, two of them were flying and four of them were dangling. Being battered by a monster storm. Over the middle of the ocean. Oh, and before he forgot, they were on the run from the Malaysian government.

It was a precarious predicament indeed.

He still had spotty radio contact, and Steve had managed to keep his comms device active as well. For the past two hours, the two of them had taken turns calling into empty radio space, hoping to come within range of a ship.

"Hello?" Tony started up again. He waited a few moments for a response. A faint sound caught his attention, and he immediately perked up. "Cap, you catch that?" he asked.

"Sounded like a voice," Steve replied.

"This is Tony Stark, of S.H.I.E.L.D. team Avengers, requesting permission to land," he said, covering formalities in a small effort to keep Steve from being even more annoyed at him. However, he couldn't resist adding an exasperated "Is anyone out there?" when there was silence. A minute later, and much more hopelessly, he added, "Anyone?"

There was a popping sound over the frequency, and suddenly, a clear voice greeted their ears. "This is Captain Jolene Elye of the _USS White Rose._ What's your location?" A feminine voice asked. Tony laughed out loud in relief, cheering while Steve continued talking.

"It's good to hear a friendly voice, Captain Elye," the soldier said, joy evident in his tone.

"We're about three miles south of the And Man Islands," Tony said.

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Andaman Islands, you mean?" Captain Elye asked.

"Yeah, that!" Tony said quickly. "About three…four miles south of there. Or, at least, we were about half an hour ago. I've got no GPS right now, so I really can't tell you." The screens in front of his face were beginning to fade; the use of the radio was straining the suit's remaining power.

"We're getting pretty beat up out here," Steve said, picking up on the difficulty in Tony's voice.

"Captain, Mr. Stark, are you outside?" the woman asked, sounding rightfully shocked. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Classified," Tony said, trying to shorten the conversation.

"What's your position?" Steve asked.

"About two minutes south and west of yours, if our technicians are anything to go by," Elye told them. "We'll come to you; just try and hold your course. How many of you are there? Any injuries?"

"It's our whole team, six of us," Steve said, looking up at Thor, who had a bloody gash across his bicep, along with several other scrapes and bruises. "We're banged some, but nothing major that we can see. A bit of first aid would probably be a big help."

"I am quite alright, Captain. I require no medical treatment!" Thor protested.

"Steve, I'm fine," Bruce insisted. Steve ignored them, listening intently to the comms device in his ear.

"I'll personally see to the infirmary being prepared," Elye told them. "Hang in there boys, we're on the way." Tony felt the repulsors in his feet stutter a bit, barely noticeable to even him, and frowned, worried.

"Looks like Thor's getting lower," Clint commented, peering intently into the wall of rain. This added to the billionaire's growing sense of dread.

"I don't think we'll be able to stay out of the water much longer," he said over the radio. Another pause.

"How long do you-"

Electricity charged the air and a loud whining sound drowned out the captain's voice. "HOLY SHIT!" Tony shouted. A lightning bolt had shot down out of the sky, hitting the Iron Man suit. He immediately let go of Clint and Natasha, trying not to fry them. As they fell, he swung into a nose dive, managing to catch Clint once again. He tried to ignore the other man's pained grunt as his arm dislocated, instead focusing on swinging him back up to the carrying apparatus and continuing on for Natasha. She plummeted, shouting at the top of her lungs but not screaming- because she simply didn't scream- into the blackness of the water below them.

"Natasha!" both men shouted. Tony frantically flew over the water, pulling out of the dive, but it was hopeless. They couldn't see a thing.

Looking to the left, Clint saw Thor fighting to stay aloft. He was entirely alone. "Aw hell," he cursed, consumed with worry for his teammates. "Tony, Steve and Bruce hit the water too," he told the other man. He had no doubt that they would survive the drop. He had no doubt that they would be able to swim through the storm. It was finding them again that had him worried.

Tony only nodded sharply in response. They continued hovering just above the water, looking for any sign of the three missing people.

"Elye, tell me that's you," Tony said several minutes later. Clint looked up at him, trying to place why the name sounded familiar, and then noticed the group of bright lights coming through the rain. "Elye?" Tony repeated, confusion covering his face when no response was given. "Elye? You there?" Nothing, not even static. That's when it occurred to him. "Damn, the comm's out!" He exclaimed. "No wonder she went silent. Alright, let's hope that's them, or we're thoroughly screwed," he said, moving toward the ship.

"What about the others?" Clint asked.

"Barton, I'm almost out of power," Tony said, his frustration showing in his tone. It was true; the Iron Man voice had lost volume and sounded more robotic and spotty than usual, and the repulsors were skipping more and more as time went on. "We can ask the Captain to help us find them when we get up there." In skips and bounds, they ascended the side of the ship. Clint glanced at the name of the ship, classifying it as a cruiser. His eyes widened. _USS White Rose. _Well, shit, then.

_Of all the ships,_ he thought with a laugh. _We find the one whit Jolene Elye as the captain._


	3. Chapter 3

**There are two things I understand. 1. It has been a very long time since I have posted, and I am sorry for that. 2. This is a short chapter. But you are going to have to deal for this one. The next will be better, I promise.**

Tony looked down as the deck of the ship grew larger beneath them. People were running toward them, waving their arms and shining flashlights into the driving rain. He sank slowly towards it, grateful that his repulsors only failed when Barton was on the ground and he was only a few inches above it. The two of them immediately collapsed out of exhaustion. The suit held Tony to the floor, a complete deadweight when it was powered down.

Clint's right arm felt like rubber, which was saying something. He was an archer, for Christ sake, and probably had the strongest arms out of any of them (bar Steve, and Bruce on occasion. Thor just didn't count in these things). But every man had his limit, and apparently dangling for umpteen hours straight was his. His left arm had no feeling except for an intense pain when it moved, but a dislocated shoulder was nothing he hadn't handled before. He felt his eyes fall shut as he lay on his back, breathing heavily and letting the rain wash over him. He didn't even care how completely water-logged he was. Just that they were safe. _Finally_.

"Sir!" someone shouted. "Agent Barton!" His eye squinted open to see a young woman leaning over him. She had dark brown hair tied back in a bun and green eyes that were shining in concern. He stared for a minute, his thinking slowed a bit, before he realized why the face looked familiar.

"Windy?" he asked.

Lieutenant Burnes rolled her eyes. "That's not my name, Barton, and you know it," she said, smiling down at him. "Are you okay?" He noticed her looking him over, but knew that she wouldn't be able to correctly determine what his injuries were. In his tired state, he decided to take pity on an old friend.

"Dislocated my left shoulder," he said. "I should be alright, other than that. Nothing too major." He saw her breathe a sigh of relief, and they shared a grin before she slung his good arm over her shoulder and helped him up.

"What do you say we get you dried off?" Mariah asked. Clint nodded at first, but realization hit him. Half of his team was in the water.

"Breeze, Natasha and two others on our team fell in back there," he said urgently. "I need to tell Jo that-"

"Tell me what?"

He turned to see Jolene Elye herself, standing next to Tony as the billionaire leaned on her for support and looking for all the world like this was something she did every day. Her eyes were bright; being in the rain was doing her good. However, she radiated concern, from her light frown to the worried glances she kept sending her charge.

"Nat, Bruce Banner, and Captain Rogers hit the water," Clint said. "We couldn't find them." Jolene's eyes widened a little at the revelation, but she remained otherwise calm.

"Okay, Clint, we'll find them," she said, a solid promise in her voice. "You two go inside and get yourselves put back together. Doc's waiting for you in the infirmary. Lieutenant Burnes will show you the way, and I'll stay out here and help look for them and your demigod friend, Thor was his name, right?"

"No, it's fine, we can wait for them out here," Tony said adamantly. "We're alright."

"Mr. Stark, I need you to go inside. You're no help with your suit like this and I can't get distracted worrying about you being struck by lightning," Jolene said. Her tone left little room for argument. "Please, go inside, warm up, and get yourself checked out by our medic. We can find your friends, don't worry about that."

Tony shook his head, and the faceplate on the suit slid up to reveal a slightly battered face. Jolene frowned; even under attack he shouldn't have sustained injuries like the cuts along his cheekbone and the heavy bruising around his eyes. "Captain Elye, we can't just-"

"You're not abandoning them, Mr. Stark," Jolene said gently. "I'll send them in as soon as we get them on board, you have my word."

"She's right, Stark, we're no help out here right now," Clint said. Anger flashed across Tony's face, and he looked about to spit out a retort, when a loud thump nearby cut him off. They all turned to see Thor, crouched in a landing position about ten yards away.

"Friends, be this the ship upon which we will be saved?" Thor's voice boomed out as he walked over. He, too, looked beyond exhausted and fairly battered.

"Yeah, this is it," Tony agreed.

"Welcome aboard the _USS White Rose_, sir," Jolene shouted over the driving rain. "Now, Agent Barton, Mr. Stark, I need y'all inside so I can focus on finding your friends. Please-"

"Captain Elye!" Someone shouted, cutting her off. A young man was waving wildly from down the deck, gesturing to his waist and holding a small black box aloft. Jolene waved back in acknowledgement and took the radio off her belt. "What, Parks?" she asked, holding it up to her ear to hear over the rain. After a moment, she nodded.

"On my way," she said. She turned back to them. "Alright, Lt. Burnes, take our guests inside and get them to the infirmary. They're lowing the tenders to start searching the water and I have to oversee it." She waved down a midshipman and the young man ran over, taking Tony's other arm. They gingerly switched his weight from one to the other, and as soon as she was sure he was alright, Jolene was sprinting down the deck.

"Come on, you all, let's get you inside," Mariah said, turning toward the door that would take them belowdecks. Tony looked about to protest, but followed anyway. They crossed the threshold and shut the door behind them. The effect was thatof someone turning off a shower. The endless watery assault from above was halted and the sounds of wind and rain muffled, leaving them in eerie silence.

"Man of Iron, Eye of Hawk, have you see any of our fallen comrades?" Thor asked.

"Not yet," Clint answered. "But that's why they're lowering the smaller boats. They're going to send people out to look for them."

"In seas such as these?" Thor asked, aghast. "Surely not!"

"I don't doubt it, especially with Jolene in charge. She's as daring as anyone and crazy to boot. But someone probably saw something in the water; they wouldn't send them in just to check." The sad thing was, Clint was actually fairly sure that was what they were doing.

"They might," Lt. Burnes said. "You might all act of your own accord, but you're some of our own, too. And if there's one thing this ship values, it's taking care of our boys and girls."

"I see Jo still has her ideals, then?" Clint asked, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Like you would not believe," Mariah agreed.

"I'd like to ask how you all know each other, but at this time I am unable to care about anything but food and medication that can be classified as "the good stuff". So, if you please…" Tony said, gesturing for Mariah and Clint to lead the way. Clint rolled his eyes.

"Fine then, Prima Donna, we're going," he said. "Goodness, take away the fancy tech and it's a whole new Tony. Never thought I'd say this, but can I have the old Stark back? This one's grouchy."

"Can it, Legolas."

**Reviews accepted and appreciated! TTFN,**

**BA&A**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, a few things to clear up in this a/n. First of all, I know this is another short chapter, but it's the last one that I've struggled to write so they should get longer and open up soon once I get back to the part of the story that was my original inspiration.  
Also, it has come to my attention that I am taking a lot of creative liberty in my description of the **_**White Rose.**_** I am not currently enlisted in any of the armed forces, and I know a little more than nothing about the working of a Navy cruiser or life aboard one. I'm doing a fair amount of research, and I believe I have some of the basic ideas down. However, this story has a direction it needs to go in, and I'll have to make it go there. So if it's not 100% accurate, I'm sorry, but it probably won't be.**

** Anyway, thanks for reading this if you did, 'cause I know I typically don't read author's notes and all, now on to what you actually came for…**

The first thing that registered in Natasha's mind, when she felt herself falling, was a fierce determination to absolutely _strangle_ Tony for dropping her. He was obviously just messing with her, there was no way he would have actually mistakenly dropped her. The minute he picked her up again she was going to… And then her wits caught up, and _holy hell,_ they had just been struck by lightning. Now, she was careening toward the water of the Indian Ocean.

"Tony!" she shouted, drawing out the name as she fell. A scream fought its way up her throat but she shut it down. The Black Widow did not scream. Tony was in a nose dive, having already grabbed Clint by the arm, and he was headed straight toward her.

"Natasha!" she heard Clint cry out. She saw them reaching out for her, and reached out. Another few feet and she would be caught.

She slammed into something hard, and everything around her disappeared. She felt her descent slow immediately and a roaring entered her ears. It came to her that she had hit the water. Struggling to the surface of the raging sea, she broke back into the air with a gasp.

The lights of the Iron Man suit, dim and already fading away, flitted above her. "Clint!" she shouted, reflexively calling the name of the one person she trusted. "Clint!"

He didn't hear her, and the lights of the Iron Man suit disappeared into the rainy haze. "Clint," she called again, though more for emotion's sake than for any real purpose. Feeling hopelessness flooding in her chest, she shoved it aside in favor of steely determination. Treading water to stay afloat, she felt for the direction of the current. She rode the crests of the waves and paddled down the troughs, moving easily with the current and saving her energy.

She wasn't sure how long she floated, or in which direction she was going, before she heard the drone of an engine. The emptiness had begun to play with her mind, and at first she wasn't entirely sure she heard it.

_They left you again,_ her mind whispered. _Corsakov was right. You are a monster. And now, they've realized how fast you'll pull them down. There's a reason he caught Barton first. Stark was in no hurry to catch you. _The drone grew louder, but Natasha was convinced no one was looking. The sound could not be real. _You don't need them anyway. They're the reason _

Suddenly, the water around her was washed in a bright yellow light. She spun around as the engine noises cut out, and was blinded for a moment by a giant spotlight. Her eyes slammed shut and she raised her arm above her head to block the light, but it shut off almost as soon as it had appeared. "Agent Romanoff, stay calm," a voice called. It sounded like it was being sent out of a megaphone. Natasha opened her eyes to see a Navy tender looming over her, it's deck washed in overhead lights. People were rushing about, trying to get a line to throw her and calling out. One man stood at the helm, watching everything calmly and trying to get a response out of her by shouting over the megaphone in his hands.

Natasha, still in a mental survival mode, thought all the excitement was a bit much. She was immediately drawn to the calmer man; he looked like he was in charge and he looked like he knew what he was doing. She struck out toward the boat, ignoring the ropes thrown her way in favor of her own muscle power to draw her in. Once alongside, she let two of the men onboard pull her up and over the side, where she stood immediately, appearing unaffected by her ordeal. She brushed off hands offered her and marched up to the man who had appealed to her earlier. His back was currently to her, but the thought still struck her that he looked familiar somehow. By the stripes on his arm, he was a lieutenant, and she called him as such.

"Really, Agent Romanoff, such formality?" The man asked with a laugh. Before he even turned around, she knew who it was. "I thought I told you to call me-"

"Grey Parks?" she asked. So it was the _White Rose, _then. Funny how this all worked out.

** That's all for now folks. Reviews gladly accepted and appreciated (please please please!)**

**BA&A**


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